What do BONES, NCIS and CHUCK Have In Common? Vik Sahay Talks Working on All Three Amazing Shows

When a beloved television show ends, one of the burning questions that remains is: When will you see your favorite stars again? In the case of Vik Sahay, that is tonight. In tonight’s episode of BONES, “The Twist in the Plot, Vik guest-stars as a business partner of the murder victim. In a recent exclusive interview Vik shared what it was like working on BONES and an upcoming episode of NCIS, as well as his new comedy series SATISFACTION. He also gave a fun shout-out to CHUCK and his glory days as one-half of the musical group known as Jeffster!

What’s the story about how you came to work on tonight’s episode of BONES?VIK: I shot BONES in the Fall after sort of taking the Summer off. It was just such a refreshing way to step back on set. I play a green entrepreneur in the funeral business in a very New Age kind of way and I obviously run into some kind of trouble, which is as specific as I’ll get for now. (Laughs) I love the tone of the show — the quips and their banters. It is very tongue-in-cheek, and it was a blast working with them. It was the right feel getting back onto set after taking some months off.

Had you worked with any of the cast or producers of BONES previously?VIK: Actually the director Milan Cheylov; I had worked with him on an episode of CHUCK. So I had met him one before and that was a tiny bit of a reunion.

How did it feel working on this episode of BONES, getting to play in their world for a little bit?VIK: It was just really refreshing to work in a show that’s been running for so long. It was really lesson in how to keep things fresh and the spirit of the show alive. It’s a nerve-wracking thing to guest-star in an episode because you walk into a machine that is so well-oiled, and all the focus is kind of on you for rehearsing and stuff. The key is for the main cast to make the guest actor comfortable and they were amazing.

We have seen from the previews that your character Akshay Mirza is in a scene with Brennan and Booth. Are those the only characters you interacted with or did you get to work with the rest of the cast as well?VIK: That was almost the more nerve-wracking thing ’cause I had all my scenes with those two super-stars. So I was the new odd-ball in that triumvirate. So I was nervous, very nervous. But, like I said, they were incredibly amazing to work with.

BONES has the Squinterns, who are forensic specialists who come and help out on different cases. Assuming your character isn’t the bad guy and responsible for the murder, would that be something you would enjoy? Being a Squintern on the show?VIK: (Laughs) Let’s not give away anything that may or may not happen in this episode, but of course I’d love to. But I don’t want to say anything that may reveal anything.

Would you say that you brought some personal quirks to the character your portray on BONES?VIK: I don’t know. I think when an actor takes on a role and tries to embody that, it can. Their personal body quirks can seep through. My goal was to get as much honesty and truth as possible, and when doing so, inevitably you open up a pipeline between yourself and the character and I’m sure far too many personal quirks are on display for my comfort. (Laughs)

On CHUCK, you had a very comedic role and it was kind of extreme and outrageous. Would you say that you were able to incorporate those kind of quirks into your character on BONES, or do you just leave all those behind?VIK: I think I leave those behind. I think Lester was a very particular person with a particular voice, and a particular level of rage and sadness. I try to with each role just start again and basically go back to neutral, nothingness and then build off of that. I certainly deliberately had no intention of bringing any of Lester to this character. They are incredibly different people. So that would have been an odd thing for me to do.

As you’re looking for new projects, what are you looking for as far as character types?VIK: I don’t know if I’m looking for character types. I am looking for material that speaks to me, whether that’s film or television. I’m about to go on and do a half-hour comedy, called SATISFACTION, in Canada. That excites me. And I did an episode of NCIS, that was really a massive job. That was much more dramatic and that so excites me. So I’m looking for, wherever I can find it, material that sparks something in me.

Maybe you could share a bit more about SATISFACTION? Will you be guest-appearing or will you be a regular on the show?VIK: I’m a lead in it. It’s shooting in Canada and we shot the pilot last Fall, then early in the New Year we found out that we’re a go. It’s about a group of friends who are 20’s to 30’s somethings who are grappling with love and relationships, young marriages, dating — and they have staggered levels of maturity. So they are struggling to make sense of commitment and monogamy. It’s a great cast with great chemistry, and I’m going to go and do at least a season with them starting in March or April.

How would you describe your character in SATISFACTION?VIK: It’s hard to describe. I’ve shot the pilot. His name is Dan Dallas and he’s a dentist, and he’s got a bit of a persecution complex. He’s very high-strung and he’s got an innocence to him, and he’s married to this incredibly beautiful woman. From what I can tell, he’s finding that a bit more a curse, than a blessing. And that’s where we’re at with that.

Sounds really fun! But SATISFACTION is only airing in Canada right now?VIK: At this point, yeah. We’ll see what happens, but right now I think it’s just going to be airing in Canada, for the first season anyway.

Have you been considering other projects or is that consuming all your time right now?VIK: Like I said, I literally just finished shooting an episode of NCIS and it was really a mother of a job. Truly some very heavy lifting. The audition for that was on January 3rd. So I had no idea I would be getting back to work so fast after the break. But that was a supreme pleasure working with Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, etc. We worked together really well and they take a lot of pride in their show, and it’s longevity — and it’s professionalism is very high. It was an intense episode and I just couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off the year. So there’s that. And I just got back from the Santa Barbara Film Festival, for a film that I had done kind of right as CHUCK was ending, called “An Awkward Sexual Adventure,” from having its U.S. premiere. So there’s things unfolding.

Sounds like you don’t get much time to breathe! VIK: (Laughs) Breathing is over-rated.

Coming off the end of CHUCK, that was a sad goodbye, saying goodbye to all these wonderful characters. But it sounds like you hit the ground running after that.VIK: I just opened myself up and things have been good. Right after CHUCK, I got to go to Romania for 2-3 months and shot a film, a very dark thriller/horror called “Wer.” It’s supposed to open either March or April this year. So, yeah, I’ve been very, very fortunate and just blessed with the people I’ve gotten to work with and all the material that I’ve been able to jump into after that incredibly beautiful experience of CHUCK.

Just as a shout-out for the CHUCK fans, maybe you could recount a favorite memory of yours from the show.VIK: There’s just so much. I still once in a while, if I’m holding a pen or any kind of water bottle, I feel it transform into a microphone and I feel the impulse and the desire to be messing with some songs as Jeffster again. I do miss it. I can feel the sadness of that not being in my life.

Those Jeffster songs were always wonderful! Particularly when Jeffster would appear at Comic-Con. We loved that.VIK: That’s so sweet.

To see Vik Sahay’s memorable performance be sure to tune in for tonight’s all new BONES at 8PM on Fox (and Global in Canada). (Then look for his upcoming appearance on NCIS on February 5th in the episode “Canary.”)

Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).